Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-10

record is kept of each man with the mini.
mum Of labor, and everyone Is well-pleased
with the system.
catering the grounds, the visitor finds
Immediately in front of him the eastern
end of the long wharf which the trains oil
steel plate to be made into pipe are un-
loaded from the plate mill. This wharf Is
about three hundred feet long, and lies
Immediately along the south front OF the
building. The wharf is sufficiently
elevated to be on q level with the beds OF
the railroad cars, and thus the transfer OF
the raw material is greatly facilitated. On
the north side Of the plant il a similar
wharf, devoted entirely to the shipment
Of finished pipe, the raw steel plates thus
going in at the south side of the plant and
coming ont at the north side transformed
int the finished article, in readiness to be
transported tos market.
Passing into the main entrance to the
buildings, which is situate near the en-
trance to the grounds, the visitor finds it
empty ofeverything but a terrible noise,
coming from the machinery in the second
and third divisions of the edi6ce-which,
by the way, while looking like three dis
tinct buildings from the outside, Is in re-
atty all one mammoth house. This va
can't space is reserved for the heavy ma
chinery for the manufacture of sizes OF pipe
above eight inches in diameter, and it will
scarcely be in operation before next spring,
very much depending upon the natural
gas supply, of which more will be said
further along. The Company hope, next
summer, to be making pipe in this part OF
the works up to t%wenty-four inches in
diameter.
In the south end and centre of the
building comprizing the middle division,
is the machinery for the manufacture Of
lap-welded pipe in size from one and one
quarter inches In diameter up to eight
inches, and farther west, is the butt
welding department, where pipe of that
variety ranging in diameter from one and
one-half inches down to an eighth of an
inch is made. On the extreme western
side of the building is the department for
making couplings, by means of which one
section of pipe is screwed to another, and
along the north side OF the centre and
western divisions of the building are the
departments for cutting the screw threads
ON the pipe and in the couplings and for
subjeCting the finished pipe to a hydraulic
test.
In the machine shop. is a force OF about
forty men, supplied with a very fine com
plement of the most approved machinery,
and here all the machinery except the
very largest castings required is made,
under the supervision of Mr.. HaddOck,
and taps and dies for the ~screw-cutting
machines are turned out. As illustrat-
ing the amount of money in some Of the
machinery and tools, the reporter was
shown about a wheel barrow load of
''master-tapS" and dies, which he was as
sured represented a cash outlay of about
s., 600.
In the large blacksmith shop another
force OF men were found at work. The
total number of men now employed at the
tube works is about three hundred, but
this force will shortly be doubled, as the
works will soon be compelled, by the
press of orders, to 20 on double turn.
The motive power for the works is fur
nished by nine steam engines, aud steam
is generated in eight boilers, Al inches by
- feet in size. The machinery embraces,
besides the various rolls, screw cutters,
etc, three pumps, two large and half n
dozen small steam hammers, and an i'm
mense amount of other labor.saving appli-
anCeS.